Personal Media Broadcasting System

1. A system comprising: a personal media broadcaster configured to receive an uncompressed signal from an audio/video source device, to encode a media stream from the uncompressed signal using an encoder setting, to transmit the media stream over a network, and to adjust the encoder setting based upon variations in an available bandwidth of the network; and a media player client configured to communicate with the personal media broadcaster over the network to receive the media stream and to play the media stream for a user.

2. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the media player client is configured to receive a user command to control the media stream and to communicate the user command to the personal media broadcaster, and wherein the personal media broadcaster is configured to adjust the encoder setting responsive to the user command.

3. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the personal media broadcaster includes an interface to receive the uncompressed signal from a plurality of types of audio/video source devices.

4. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the personal media broadcaster is configured to dynamically adjust the encoder setting in response to the variations in the available bandwidth of the network as the media stream is transmitted over the network.

5. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the personal media broadcaster is configured to adjust the encoder setting in real time as the media stream is transmitted on the network.

6. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the encoder setting comprises at least one of the following: a bit rate, a resolution or a frame rate.

7. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the media player client and the personal media broadcaster are configured to communicate over the network to mutually establish capabilities of the media player client, and wherein the personal media broadcaster is configured to initially establish the encoder setting based upon the capabilities of the media player client.

8. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the media player client and the personal media broadcaster are configured to communicate over the network to mutually establish a throughput of a connection between the media player client and the personal media broadcaster over the network, and wherein the personal media broadcaster is configured to initially establish the encoder setting based upon the throughput of the connection.

9. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the encoder setting comprises a bit rate.

10. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the encoder setting comprises a resolution.

11. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises a wide area network (WAN).

12. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises the Internet.

13. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the encoder setting comprises a frame rate.

14. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the personal media broadcaster is configured to encode the media stream by digitizing and compressing the uncompressed signal received from the audio/visual source device.

15. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the media stream is encoded by compressing the media stream using the encoder setting.

16. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the uncompressed signal is a live stream from the audio/visual source device.

17. The personal media broadcasting system of claim 1 , wherein the media player client communicates with the personal broadcaster through a Web browser interface.

18. A device comprising: an input interface configured to receive an uncompressed signal from one or more source devices; a processor configured to construct a media stream by encoding the uncompressed signal using an encoder setting, and to adjust the encoder setting based upon variations in an available bandwidth of a network; and an embedded network interface configured to transmit the media stream to a client over the network.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the network interface is configured to receive a user command to control content in the media stream from the client.

20. The device of claim 18 , wherein the input interface includes an interface for receiving the analog signal from a plurality of types of source devices.

21. The device of claim 18 , wherein the device is configured to dynamically adjust the encoder setting based on the variations in the available bandwidth of the network as the media stream is transmitted over the network.

22. The device of claim 18 , wherein the processor is configured to adjust the encoder setting in real time.

23. The device of claim 18 , wherein the encoder setting comprises at least one of the following: a bit rate, a resolution or a frame rate.

24. The device of claim 18 , wherein the analog signal is a live stream from the one or more source devices.

25. The device of claim 18 , wherein the analog audio/visual signal is a live stream from a personal video recorder (PVR).

26. The device of claim 18 , wherein the analog audio/visual signal is a live stream from a cable set-top box.

27. The device of claim 18 , wherein the analog audio/visual signal is a live stream from a video camera.

28. The device of claim 18 , wherein the network comprises a wide area network (WAN).

29. The device of claim 18 , wherein the network comprises the Internet.

30. The device of claim 18 , wherein the uncompressed signal is received in an analog format, and wherein the device further comprises an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the uncompressed signal from the analog format to a digital format.

31. The device of claim 18 wherein the uncompressed signal is received in a digital format.

32. The device of claim 18 wherein the processor is configured to adjust the encoder setting while the media stream is transmitted on the network.

33. A method comprising: receiving an uncompressed signal; encoding the uncompressed signal to construct a media stream; adjusting the encoding based upon variations in an available bandwidth of a network; and transmitting the media stream to a client over the network.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the uncompressed signal is a live stream provided by a source device.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the adjusting comprises dynamically adjusting the encoder setting based on the variations in the available bandwidth of the network as the media stream is transmitted over the network.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the encoder setting in real time as the media stream is transmitted over the network.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein the encoding comprises compressing the uncompressed digital signal.

38. The method of claim 33 wherein the encoding comprises compressing the uncompressed digital signal using an encoder setting.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the encoder setting as the available bandwidth of the network changes.

40. The method of claim 33 wherein the uncompressed signal is received in an analog format, and wherein the method comprises digitizing the analog signal.

41. The method of claim 33 wherein the uncompressed signal is received in a digital format.

42. The method of claim 33 wherein the client is a web browser.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the uncompressed signal is a live stream from a source device, and wherein the method comprises receiving an instruction from the web browser and controlling the source device in response to the instruction received from the web browser to adjust the live stream.

44. A method comprising: receiving an uncompressed signal from an audio/visual source device; encoding the uncompressed signal to construct a digitally-compressed media stream; transmitting the digitally-compressed media stream to a web browser via an IP network; and adjusting the encoding of the uncompressed signal in response to variations in an available bandwidth of the IP network.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the encoding is performed in real time as the uncompressed signal is received.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein the adjusting comprises dynamically adjusting the encoding based on the variations in the available bandwidth of the IP network as the digitally-compressed media stream is transmitted on the IP network.

47. The method of claim 44 wherein uncompressed signal represents a live stream from the audio/visual source device, wherein the encoding and transmitting are performed as the uncompressed signal representing the live stream is received.

48. The method of claim 44 wherein the encoding comprises compressing the uncompressed signal using an encoder setting.

49. The method of claim 44 further comprising receiving an instruction from the web browser via the IP network.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising controlling the audio/visual source device in response to the instruction received from the web browser.

51. The method of claim 44 further comprising converting the digitally-compressed media stream to network packets compatible with the IP network.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the network packets on the IP network.